Lindsey Graham’s soaring poll numbers show exactly why he’s sidled up to Trump at any cost

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham recently told the New York Times, “If you don’t want to get re-elected, you’re in the wrong business.”

Graham may as well have followed up with, And I’m in the right business. Sure as shootin’, Graham has spent the past of couple years morphing into a candidate for the utmost spineless Trump booster of all time. Since 2016, Graham has gone from labeling Trump a “kook” who was “unfit for office” to being his consummate apologist and golf buddy. Even as Trump spent the past week savaging Graham’s former Senate bestie John McCain, Graham still couldn’t eke out an actual criticism of Trump when he was asked about it by a local TV station.

“My job is to represent the people of South Carolina,” he told Spartanburg’s WLOS. “They want me to work with the President where I can. I’ve gotten to know the President. We have a good working relationship. I like him. I don’t like it when he says things about my friend John McCain.”

If you’ve been wondering even a little bit about Graham’s motivation, wonder no longer. As MSNBC’s Steve Benen points out, Winthrop’s latest statewide poll provides the answer.

Regarding U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, his approval rating among Republicans has continued to rise, it now stands at 74% in the Winthrop Poll. Only 25% of Democrats polled support Graham.

“While Graham’s numbers used to lag those of other Republicans among GOP identifiers, since he has taken up the President’s banner on most every issue, his approval among Republicans in South Carolina has steadily risen,” Winthrop Poll director Dr. Scott Huffmon told a local ABC affiliate.

Nearly a year ago, Graham was sitting at a 51 percent approval rating among South Carolina Republicans in the same poll. He’s spent the last year-plus inoculating himself from a primary challenge, integrity be damned, and it worked. It must feel good.